Not a bad read, some interesting tidbits, but overall, it appears to be an extremely “G” rated version, especially in protecting the reputation of JFK and of course the secret service. Whereas the authors admit that Johnson could often be a crude pig in language and actions, they place JFK in a holy light. The book also repeats constantly a Kennedy quote about “Ivy League charlatans” that appears to try and convince (brainwash?) the reader into what was simply an off-hand quote/joke by JFK into a proclamation of strictprocedureprotocol.

Interesting Read – But Video Tells A Different Story, April 23, 2012 By Patriot Sailor “Patriot Sailor” (New York City) – See all my reviewsThis review is from: The Kennedy Detail (Kindle Edition)

I was reluctant to review this book out of respect to the Secret Service as a whole — but since this is about the President Kennedy’s detail, then I will focus on them — and I have to agree with former Secret Service Agent Abraham Bolden: This IS the biggest CYA book to come about in a long time. While there are plenty of interesting factoids about how the Secret Service operated, impressions of the Kennedys, and of others associated with them, The President’s Secret Service Detail left John F. Kennedy a sitting duck. PERIOD. The agent’s claim that JFK didn’t want agents around him ALL the time is partially true. Kennedy was known for sneaking out of the White House — as was reported by actor Kirk Douglas. JFK popped in during a cocktail party where Douglas was in attendance and wanted to meet him. No one at the party knew JFK was coming to say “hello”.

HOWEVER — the book’s claim that JFK wanted agents off his limo is 100% FALSE. This is where the book loses all credibility. Veteran researcher Vincent M. Palamara, interviewed the following agents in 1998 and they all denied JFK said such a thing happened for the Dallas trip: *Gerald A. Behn (chief of JFK’s detail), *Floyd M. Boring (#2 JFK detail agent), *Arthur L. Godfrey (one of three shift leaders on the Texas trip), *Donald J. Lawton (on the Dallas JFK detail), *Rufus W. Youngblood (#2 agent on Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s detail), *Samuel A. Kinney (driver of the Secret Service follow-up car in Dallas), *Robert I. Bouck (head of the Protective Research Section), *Robert Lilley (a member of JFK’s detail from election night until one month before Dallas), *Maurice G. Martineau (agent in charge of the Chicago office) and *John Norris (a member of the Uniformed Division) Now — for the BLAME: Secret Service Agent [Donald Lawton] actually TRIED to get on the back of Kennedy’s limo and ride it starting at the airport before the limo left for Dealy Plaza! You can see the video on YouTube if you don’t believe me. Agent [Lawton] was ORDERED OFF THE LIMO — and it WAS NOT by Kennedy. WHO gave the order? Secret Service agent Emory P. Roberts who served as the COMMANDER of the agents in the follow-up car (the 1956 Cadillac limo right behind JFK’s). You can see the video where Roberts gets up from his seat, uses voice hand gestures and FORCES Agent [Lawton]to FALL BACK to the rear area of JFK’s limousine. [Lawton] stops and then raises his arms several times in disgust. [Lawton] remained at the airport — leaving the President to be murdered. Frankly, I would have disobeyed the order — I have served in the military and if you are given an unlawful order, you are bound by your duty to disobey it. WHY the authors of this book — ESPECIALLY Agent Clint Hill — does not make any critical commentary about Agent Roberts INSANITY is beyond comprehension. WHY did Roberts do it? No one knows or no one is talking — and they better hurry up! People are getting old! The other HUGE BLAME falls upon Kennedy’s drivers: Agent William Robert Greer (driver) and Agent Roy Kellerman (back-up/passenger). Simply put, they violated every rule of the road regarding the protection of the President when they turned the corner on to Elm Street. They violated the minumum speed mandates and actually SAW the President was in distress and NEVER reacted in time. The two agents sure did DUCK after the fatal shot to the President — Way to go guys! Nothing like protecting yourselves! That’s in the video too — and it turns my stomach every time I watched it. Watch the videos/films of the murder (Zapruder film, Nix film) — you can actually SEE the brake lights coming on the limo at one point during the shooting — AND you can see the agents TURN AROUND and LOOK RIGHT AT KENNEDY as he’s being shot BEFORE the fatal head shot. (BTW — Look up “unedited Altgens Photo” and you will see the agents looking BEHIND THEM — and NOT UP at the 6th floor depository window. If the volly of shots came from the 6th floor window, why aren’t the agents looking up? They never look up during the Zapruder film — seriously — they are supposed to be the best body guards in the world — trained in arms and they didn’t do squat until it was too late.) The actions of these three men changed the course of American history. I have my own suspicions — but this isn’t the place. The fact that this book tried to blame KENNEDY for his own murder is nothing short of amazing and disgusting — especially since there is OVERWHELMING TESTIMONY and VIDEO evidence proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Kennedy’s Secret Service Detail 100% FAILED to protect the President. That’s not my opinion — that’s a FACT.

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About vincepalamara

Vincent Palamara was born in Pittsburgh and graduated from Duquesne University with a degree in Sociology.
Although not even born when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, Vince brings fresh eyes to an old case. In fact, Vince would go on to study the largely overlooked actions - and inactions - of the United States Secret Service in unprecedented detail, as well as achieving a world's record in the process, having interviewed and corresponded with over 80 former agents (the House Select Committee on Assassinations had the old record of 46 with a 6 million dollar budget and supboena power from Congress), not to mention many surviving family members, White House aides, and even quite a few Parkland and Bethesda medical witnesses for a corresponding project. The result was Survivor's Guilt: The Secret Service & The Failure To Protect President Kennedy.
Vince is also the author of the books JFK: From Parkland To Bethesda, The Not-So-Secret Service, Who's Who in the Secret Service, and Honest Answers about the Murder of President John F. Kennedy: A New Look at the JFK Assassination.
All told, Vince has been favorably mentioned in over 140 JFK and Secret Service related books to date (including two whole chapters in Murder in Dealey Plaza, The Secret Service: The Hidden History Of An Enigmatic Agency by Philip Melanson, and the Final Report of the Assassination Records Review Board, among many others), often at length, in the bibliographies, and in the Secret Service - and even medical evidence - areas of these works.
Vince has appeared on the History Channel's THE MEN WHO KILLED KENNEDY (VHS and DVD), C-SPAN, Newsmax TV, A COUP IN CAMELOT (DVD/BLU RAY), KING KILL '63, THE MAN BEHIND THE SUIT (DVD), National Geographic's JFK: THE FINAL HOURS (including on DVD), PCN, BPTV, local cable access television, YouTube, radio, newspapers, print journals, at national conferences, and all over the internet. Also, Vince's original research materials, or copies of said materials, are stored in the National Archives (by request under Deed Of Gift by the ARRB), the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Harvard University, the Assassination Archives and Research Center, and the Dallas Public Library.
Vince Palamara has become known (as he was dubbed by the History Channel in 2003) "the Secret Service expert." As former JFK Secret Service agent Joe Paolella proclaimed: "You seem to know a lot about the Secret Service, maybe even more than I do!" Agent Dan Emmett calls Vince a Secret Service expert in his new book.